Up, Up and Get That Shit Away from Me

By now you may have heard that Zack Snyder (300, The Watchmen, Sucker Punch) is directing the new Superman movie titled Man of Steel. What you might not have seen yet is the new costume. A picture was released not that long ago, but it was a stylized and polished piece of PR. Recently, today, a few new pictures surfaced of the man of steel in action on the set of the new movie. The costume is...ummm...well see for yourself.

Awful ain't it? I'm trying very hard not to be one of those people who get all up in arms when a beloved piece of their childhood is remade and it doesn't look exactly how they remember it. These people get all up in arms and fill the blogosphere with inane ramblings about how Hollywood or Director X is raping their childhood. I want to believe I hate the costume because it is just ugly, but if I'm honest with myself I hate the costume because it isn't the Superman I grew up with.

Recently I had to stop myself from losing my mind over them changing Spider-Man's costume. I decided that even though I don't like what they did with it either that I would let it slide because they brought back the mechanical web shooters.

However, if I'm being honest with myself, I really fucking hate it because it isn't the Spider-Man I grew up with.

Which makes me wonder why these costumes had to be changed in the first place. I don't want to want to ask this question but I desperately want to ask this question. Why did they have to change something as iconic as the red and blue with Superman or the pattern of Spider-Man's costume? I understand they are rebooting franchises and trying to bring in younger viewers, but why do that at the risk of alienating those that have grown up with the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and the man of steel? I realize that things weren't necessarily better when I was a kid, but we aren't talking about 20 year old properties here. Spider-Man's first appearance was in 1962 and Superman's was in 1938. Sometimes change is good, necessary even but don't change shit just for the sake of it. I'll reserve judgement of the movies until I see them, but I'm going to fucking hate those costumes until then.

Return to Whedonverse

I love Netflix streaming. I’m aware that love of Netflix isn’t popular currently but there, I said it. The reason I love Netflix is because it opened up the Whedonverse to me. I have spent countless hours in the magical Whedonverse. I popped my Whedon cherry on Buffy and haven’t looked back since.

From Buffy I moved on to Angel, mainly because I was fairly certain Spike was resurrected on that show in its final season. Angel didn’t move me in the same way that Buffy did, when characters died in Buffy it actually stung for me, I felt a loss knowing they were gone. That isn’t to say that Doyle sacrificing himself didn’t leave me going “Whaaaa” or that the loss of Fred still doesn’t make me sad.

From Angel came Firefly and with it Serenity. I really enjoyed that show even though I knew going in that it was prematurely cancelled by television execs that would rather continue to air tripe like Two and a Half Men. I’m a better person for having become a Browncoat and for knowing Wash, even if he was cut down too soon. After Serenity I took a break from the Whedonverse, nursing my wounds from the many heartbreaking deaths that Joss Whedon feels necessary to bestow upon his creations.

During my sabbatical I immersed myself in Battlestar Galactica, and not the Dirk Benedict one (he’ll always be Faceman to me). I loved that FRAK out of that show! BSG was full jaw dropping deaths that you didn’t see coming (Dee what were you thinking!?) and from beginning to end I found myself totally enthralled with the crew of the Battlestar Galactica. Like all good things this too ended and I was left wondering where to go from here. So, I returned to the Whedonverse.

I am now two episodes into Dollhouse and already really enjoying myself. I knew that Eliza “Faith” Dushku was the star but I had no idea Tahmoh “Helo” Penikett was also in it. My two worlds have collided! I know I’m setting myself up for disaster. I know that the show was cut down too soon and I just know that someone is going to be killed that will leave me going “What?! No!” but I also know it’ll be worth the ride.